Entice Trophy Size Fish Through Saltwater Deep Jigging

Deep jigging is a fishing method that has been practiced around the world, but is just now gaining acceptance from saltwater North American anglers. This productive technique of enticing deep water fish continues to lure anglers with the dream of landing the next record-breaking trophy.

It could be the constant jerking, lift-&-wind action required when deep jigging, or the heart-stopping sensation one gets when a fish grabs the lure and begins to tug and pull that leads me to believe this method of fishing will continue to gain in popularity.

Names like Salas, Tady, Ironman and UFO were popular in this type of lure. Colors in combinations of blue & white, green & yellow, brown & yellow or sardine patterns are commonly found in saltwater tackle boxes throughout Southern California.

Recently, Fishers go out with different outfits and jigs to find the perfect combo as my jigging setup. I've been using Salas jigs in various gram weights and colors for several different depths and target fish species. What I've found is that regardless of the many actions, speeds and drags of the countless fishing rods and reels that I have fished with, spinning reel combos are by far the best to jig with.

The advantage of having the reel hang below the rod makes lifting and jerking the rod easier, as well as helps in maintaining control of the handle during this erratic motion. Also, being able to have the handle on either side of the reel, depending on the angler's preference, outweighs many of the advantages of conventional casting rod & reel combos.

When the fish are slow to bite, fishing can get a bit exhausting. This is another reason why spinning rods and reels should be used when deep jigging. The constant movement and action required to dart your salas jigs in the proper motion is much easier to maintain for longer periods of time with a spinning combo.

Also, the smooth functionality, casting friendliness and tremendous fish stopping power of today's saltwater spinning reels are so advanced, that anything else would be overkill. So next time you go on a saltwater fishing charter, tell the captain you would like to try deep jigging with a spinning combo and see for yourself what the commotion is all about.